MYTH: "There are more immigrants today than ever before in U.S. history"

The percentage of immigrants among US residents was higher at the beginning of the 20th Century than it is today. Whereas, between 1870 and 1920, nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population was foreign born, today that figure is 12 percent.

As a proportion of the population, the number of immigrants in the U.S. is close to that of other advanced, industrialized countries. In fact, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada have higher immigrant percentages than the U.S. and France and Germany have about the same.